Mercy (But Just This Once)
by AQueenoftheStars
Summary: Angelica isn't well versed in forgiveness.


Notes: Hi again! I guess I just can't stop writing these two! It's too fun! This is an earlier one when the gang is still in high school. For anyone that's wondering, Chuckie turned 17. Again, I apologize for any and all spelling/grammatical mistakes, for they are my own! Anyway, enjoy! ~ C

**Mercy (But Just This Once) ~ A One-Shot**

Angelica pressed hands to the sides of her spinning head.

"Ugh. I think I'm gonna be sick," she mumbled to herself.

Phil grabbed her shoulders and pushed her forward, his feet bouncing on the wooden ramp.

"Wasn't that fun, Angelica!" He released her and bounded towards Tommy and Chuckie as they made their way out of the roller coaster exit.

Angelica rolled her eyes and tried to pat down the nest her hair had become after all those loop de loops.

Susie threw an arm over the blonde's shoulder and fiddled with one of the long locks.

"Nice hair." She chuckled as Angelica groaned and pulled away.

"I seriously need to chop this all off."

Susie gave her a look. "If you go back to pigtails, girl, I swear I'll have you committed."

This cracked Angelica and she laughed, pushing through the turnstile. "God, I can't believe I let you guys drag me here." The rest of the gang had congregated outside the ride; Kimi and Lil were sitting on a bench beneath an orange and red striped umbrella, while Tommy and Phil were explaining something to Chuckie that required wild arms swings to describe.

"Oh, c'mon. It's not that bad. Besides," Susie smiled at the group they walked towards, "look how happy Chuckie is." The aforementioned red head was mid-laugh, his glasses in his hand as he wiped tears from his eyes at the face Phil was making.

Angelica sighed, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's Finster's birthday. Why shouldn't he be happy?"

Susie crossed her arms across her chest, an expression on her face that said, _So, help me Angelica, you will be happy here or I will beat you over the head with a Dummy Bear until you behave._

Angelica held her hands in front of her in a demonstration of peace. She still had nightmares about the great Dummy Bear attack of '03.

"Ok, ok." She forced a smile, "Look, I'm happy! _Couldn't be happier_!"

Susie smiled, patting Angelica on the shoulder, and headed over to sit with Lil and Kimi.

"Hmph." Angelica crossed her arms across her chest and turned away from the gang so they wouldn't see her pout.

_It's not like it's Finster's actual birthday anyway, _she argued internally. _It was like...last week. _

_Probably. _

She shrugged and raised a hand to shade her eyes from the sun as she looked back at the roller coaster they just exited.

_Runaway Reptar!_

The teen girl shrugged, never having understood her cousin's and his friend's obsession with that stupid green dinosaur. Behind the brightly colored sign, the coaster's track rose to staggering heights and twisted and turned in upon itself in curls and spirals. Just looking at it made her feel ill again.

She turned back to her party just as Kimi grabbed at Tommy's arm, interrupting him as he continued making Phil and the birthday boy laugh.

"C'mon Tommy, you can buy me an slushie!" She dragged her boyfriend away and Tommy shot a pleading look back to them.

"Dude! SLUSHIE!" Phil looked at Chuckie with bright eyes, but the latter put a hand to his stomach.

"I think my stomach needs a break after Reptar."

Phil shrugged in a _suit-yourself_ sort of way and ran off after the couple.

"Hey, we're gonna check out that jewelry store, wanna join?" Susie pointed at a nearby building, the windows filled with delicate silver trinkets.

"Su-" Angelica began, before seeing the name of the store.

_Diamond Dactar: Accessories for the Reptar Lover_

"Oh, uh, no thanks. You go on ahead."

Susie raised an eyebrow at her but wandered off with Lil towards the shop.

"Phew."

Angelica turned at the sound as Chuckie flopped onto the bench the girls had just vacated.

"Birthdays are exhausting."

Angelica snorted. Of course. Leave it to Finster to try and calm down his own birthday celebration.

She sat beside the red head and stretched her legs.

"Well, Finster, that's what you get when you grow a year older."

Chuckie laughed, "Yeah, I guess I'll be needing a hip replacement soon."

Angelica smirked and he stretched, reaching arms to the sky a ripple of tiny cracks sounding, and sighed.

The teen reached into her pocket for the gift she'd been carrying. She usually hated presents, unless they were for her of course, but this time she'd come up with something pretty amazing, if she said so herself.

"Here, Finster." Chuckie stopped people watching and looked down at the card in her hand. "Happy, you know, birthday or whatever."

Chuckie smiled and took the card, "Oh, you didn't have to get me anything," he said as he tore open the envelope.

"I couldn't find any markers around so I had to make do with what I found in my closet," Angelica explained.

Chuckie pulled the square piece of card stock out of it's cover. On it, in hideously green crayon, it said two words: ONE BY.

The red-head turned to her with a confused look. "Uh...thanks, Angelica. I think."

Angelica rolled her eyes. "You s_hould_ be thankful, Finster. That's the greatest gift I've ever thought of." She looked at him pointedly. "Especially for you."

Chuckie looked down at the card again. "But...what is it?"

Angelica smiled smugly and crossed her arms as she explained, "It's a by."

He still looked confused.

She huffed.

"You know how you guys all do stupid stuff and I get really mad?"

Chuckie looked like he wasn't sure whether to agree or not.

"Well, now you get a by." She stuck a finger in his face. "Just one though."

Comprehension slowed dawned on Chuckie.

"Oh. So when I make angry-"

"Really angry," she interjected.

"Right, really, _really _angry," he glanced at her. "Then I can use this and you won't be mad?"

Angelica shrugged, "Well, I'll probably still be mad, but I'll think back to this stupid park and remember that I gave you this as a present and I'll just take out my anger on someone else."

Chuckie swallowed, already worrying for that future person.

"Well," Chuckie tucked the card back into the envelope. "Thanks a lot Angelica." He smiled genuinely at her, hoping he didn't have to use that card too soon.

Angelica waved him off, "Yeah, yeah, don't get sappy on me, Finster."

"No, really I-"

"Hey, Angelica!" The blonde turned at the sound of Susie's voice and got an eye full of bright light.

Angelica blinked the spots out of her eyes to find Susie grinning cheekily. Lil was laughing behind her, her arm strung around Dil's.

"Look who we found in the jewelry store." Lil shoved Dil playfully with her shoulder, disrupting the hat from his head.

"Pfft, what were _you_ doing looking for jewelry?" Angelica asked.

Dil adjusted his hat and replied, "I was looking for a carved Dactar pendent. I need something to trade when the aliens come down. They love Reptar, you know. They've been watching it for years!" He threw up his hands for emphasis.

A collective groan went round just as Kimi, Tommy and Phil returned, slushies in tow.

"What's up guys?" Tommy said, his eyes falling on Dil. "Oh, there you are. Jeeze, I thought we'd leave you here." Dil's eyes lit up and Tommy continued. "_Not happening._"

"Your brother here was just explaining the tv selections of aliens." Angelica supplied

The three newcomers groaned as well. Dil put his hands in his pockets, a superior expression on his face. "You'll see. You're going to wish you had all the Reptar swag I have when the invasion begins."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Angelica replied, indifferently.

"Oh cool, you got a camera!" Kimi pointed at the plastic device in Susie's hands, and posed. "Take my picture!"

"Me too!" Lil called, rushing over to Kimi's side.

The next few minutes passed, the camera being handed around as the teens snapped photos of each other. Angelica glared from the bench when they tried to pull her into the pictures, but Chuckie was hugged and dog piled on and licked (Dil) in a flood of snap shots.

Susie rescued her camera, as Phil and Lil began to wrestle over it and called them together, "Ok, guys, group shot, get close."

"But you won't be in the shot, Susie!"

"It's ok, we'll take another." She motioned for them to get closer together. "Ok, Chuckie, it's your birthday, you've got to be in the center."

The red-head blushed and Phil pounced on him, pulling him into a headlock. Dil climbed onto the bench behind them and placed his hands on either side of his head to create antlers. Tommy laughed, and grabbed one of Chuckie's legs, causing him to sputter with Phil's arm around around his neck.

"Quit your whining, Chuck, I gotcha." Phil secured an arm around his middle so as not to choke him as Kimi and Lil grabbed his other leg.

"C'mon Angelica."

The blonde crossed her arms and looked at her friend.

Susie stared back.

Angelica huffed, rolling her eyes for good measure, before finally standing up.

Susie smiled and made a _closer_ hand motion at her and Angelica took one step closer to the group.

"Perfect," Susie said as she framed the shot. "Ok, guys, say cheese! One, two, three!"

_"CHEESE!"_


End file.
